Mother facing deportation takes refuge in church

Thursday, February 16, 2017 - 01:07

An undocumented mother in Colorado takes sanctuary in a Denver church hoping to avoid deportation. Linda So reports.

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This undocumented mother of three struggling to hold back tears as she fights to stay in the U.S.
Jeanette Vizgurerra has taken sanctuary in Denver's First Unitarian Church, defying deportation orders.
President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration has put people like Vizgurerra at risk as federal agents round up undocumented migrants with criminal convictions.
SOUNDBITE: JEANETTE VIZGURERRA, UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANT, SAYING:
"This is not just an attack on me, it's an attack on the entire immigrant community."
Vizgurerra came to the U.S. twenty years ago. She was convicted of a misdemeanor after using fake social security documents to stay employed.
SOUNDBITE: JEANETTE VIZGURERRA, UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANT, SAYING:
"The only thing that I've done is use false documents to put food on the table of my family."
Fearing deportation, Vizgurerra has chosen not to go to her scheduled meeting with federal immigration enforcement officials. Instead she's taking refuge in the church where the reverend says she can stay as long as necessary.
Federal law dictates immigration officers are to avoid entering churches unless they have prior approval.

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